Quicksilver by Lynn White

Always on the move,

darting here, dipping there,

blowing hot, blowing cold,

mercurial as quicksilver

dispensing woe or joy

in clouds of dust,

fairy dust,

falling like starlight

and landing

somewhere.

I’m just the messenger,

she said,

I don’t get to choose,

gold or silver,

coal or shale,

it’s just dust

blowing in the wind

and landing

somewhere,

I don’t get to choose,

she said.

But I wonder.

Bio

Lynn White lives in north Wales. Her work is influenced by issues of social justice and events, places and people she has known or imagined. She is especially interested in exploring the boundaries of dream, fantasy and reality. She was shortlisted in the Theatre Cloud 'War Poetry for Today' competition and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net and a Rhysling Award. Find Lynn here and here.

Author's note

From childhood I have been fascinated by the Greek/Roman legends and written several poems reworking them for a modern age. I was also fascinated by mercury and the way it moved with a mind of its own! This poem combines the idea of quicksilver/Mercury with the modern 'don't shoot the messenger' idea and the excitement and trepidation of receiving what the messenger brings and the limits, or otherwise, of the messenger's responsibility.

This piece was first published in Free Verse Revolution, Issue 2, Hermes the Kaleidoscope, Summer 2021.